


Reunited

by catastrophage



Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, s04ep03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 08:51:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14493312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catastrophage/pseuds/catastrophage
Summary: Spoiler warning, spoilers all over.Just another ficlet trying to deal with it all.In this one Troy provides the setting.





	Reunited

**Author's Note:**

> Because Troy arrived first, he gets to choose where they meet again.  
> Or: the ficlet in which I speed-erase whatever happens in season four.  
> If you like to listen to some music, I'm listening to [ this cover version of Shout](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSjywo29Bng) to vent my feelings.  
> I'm sorry guys. I'm so sorry.

**Reunited**

Troy leaned back in his comfortable chair. He must be dreaming, or maybe he went past his limits at the _bazar_. The place surrounding him seemed disconnected from space and time, just an office room, could have been at the depot, but he could remember leaving that place. A lot of things had happened since. So it was just a place within his mind, apparently. He would have thought he was dead... if it wasn't for Nick sitting in the room with him. It's a dream, he told himself, confirming his first intuition about it. What a weird dream. He took out his notebook and pencil and tried to write down the date, failing to remember what day it was. A little frustrated, he noted down December 2010. Then crossed it out. Much rather... around Christmas _2012._ "Allright," he mumbled. "You tell me. Why are we here?"

Nick stared at him like meeting him for the first time. "Can't be..." he whispered. He started frantically shaking his head. _"Can't be!"_ The fingers of the young Clark were dark from mud and street dust, but his knuckles turned white when he clenched his hands around the armrests of his chair. His breath went faster, as if he would hyperventilate, then he started coughing. The boy reached up one hand, touched his chest, then his mouth. He stared at his fingers like he was expecting to see blood. But there was none. Troy got up, crossed the room and placed a hand on Nick's shoulder. "It's okay. It's a dream. No more."

A minute passed, Troy just stood there, massaging the younger's shoulder to calm him down. "Want some tea?" he offered. "I brew some good tea." And if this was the depot indeed, Troy knew where the kitchen was. Nick didn't react though. He was still shaking, his fingers were trembling, while he held them up to stare at them. With a sigh, Troy bowed down to hold both of Nick's wrists. "Come on, get back up on your feet. You're not dying."

Tears ran down Nick's face, while he reluctantly got up. He stretched out his hand, fought it free from Troy's, and clung to his dark fleece jacket instead. It was so soft, felt so real, so warm. The same jacket he had been wearing two years ago, on that fateful day at the dam. Troy reached around him and they were standing in an awkward half-embrace for a moment, one of Nick's wrists still held by the taller man, who was not sure if he had to pull Nick out of here, or stay a little longer to comfort him. Hesitantly, he gave him a little kiss on the forehead, brushed his dirty, greasy hair with the stubble of his cheek. "You're dead," the younger finally whispered.

"Am I?" Troy replied with a shrug. "Feels pretty normal to me." He offered the Clark boy a smile, and a pat on the back. "Let's go." Nick let out a whimper when Troy reached for the door handle, but he followed him through.

The room behind lay in darkness. Troy went in first, and cursed as his knee hit a bed frame. "What the hell..." he mumbled, and Nick behind him started hyperventilating again. Quickly, Troy turned around to calm him. "It's allright. _I'm allright._ " He put a hand on the doorframe and slowly felt his way over the wall with his fingers, until he found a switch. The light turned on and Troy recognized his bedroom. "Wow," he whispered.

Nick didn't seem too happy about this discovery, but Troy shrugged it off. "Told you it's my dream." The taller stared at the room in awe, he had not been here in days... years. _In years._ Everything still looked like he had left it - his shelf with small skulls and skeletons, dried flowers, things he had collected in the desert. There was his stuffed ring tailed cat, a masterpiece of taxidermy... he gave its fur a slight pet with his fingers. Nick was still trembling, panicking, so Troy reached him one of his geodes he collected on another shelf. "Look how this one sparkles inside. It's a fire opal."  
Nick looked like he would faint any moment, pale, with thin lips. But he did as he was told, looked at the stone in his hand that seemed to hold a whole galaxy within. _"Stare at the space between atoms,"_ he whispered, voice rough and out of breath. "Yeah," Troy answered and watched the younger sit down on his vintage patterned bed throw.  
When he figured Nick was safe, and engulfed in the shiny gem in his hands, Troy went to the window. Just in front of his house stood a group of militia men around a bonfire. Blake spotted Troy standing in the window and waved at him. Then someone knocked at the door. They could hear feet shuffle, a low voice, another knock. The door opened with a squeal. 

It was Jake who entered first, and behind him with a shy smile, Mike. "We're waiting," Jake snarled, but he grinned right after and gave his brother a pat on the shoulder. Mike didn't say a word at first, but he crossed the room and kneeled in front of Nick. "You okay? Everyone is waiting outside. They're hyped to meet you again."  
"Blake and Coop are especially fond of you," Jake chimed in. Nick's whole body was shaking again, but Mike got a hold of his knees, and Troy hurried to him, hugging him from behind. "You're family, Nick. _You're with me._ "

When they finally left the ranch house to meet everyone else, Nick had calmed down a little. He was still holding onto the fire opal Troy gave him. Whatever happened after they left the ranch seemed like a long weird dream. Two long years of not knowing where he belonged. And now Troy's militia surrounded him, included him, took his fears. He had finally arrived back home.  
"Thanks, guys," he whispered. He turned around to Troy who was sitting right behind him. "Thank you. _I'm glad I'm back._ "  
Troy reached around him and held him in a tight hug. Nobody would ever separate them again.


End file.
